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July 29, 2016 by Fort Morgan Times

Honestly, this article really, really angered me. First of all, I think that domestic violence news stories are worthy of more than two sentences in the police blotter. What really upset me, though, was to see that in those two sentences, what was mentioned was that the perpetrator was let off with NO BOND! This means that without even having to pay money, the accused perpetrator is back out on the street, and who knows where the victim is! This again reminds me of Beth’s story and how she was often NOT helped by professions there to help her. If I were the social worker in this case, I would want to do everything in my power to ensure the safety of this victim, and to provide her with any services that may benefit her.

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July 27, 2016 – later the same day by the Denver Channel

I found it interesting that this article started off by saying that the boyfriend in the case is not a suspect, but by then going on to paint him as a suspect in the case. Again, if I were this woman’s social worker, I would be very concerned about her whereabouts, and I would be very interested to learn more about their story.

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July 27, 2016 by The Englewood Herald

This article is a continuation of a case from last week. In this article, the boyfriend of the victim is portrayed in an even more disturbed way. In fact, I even think he may have done it. This is relevant to our readings, though, because of the way that the media is portraying this man, as well as because of his history. Had the victim been helped in their last case of domestic violence, she may not be missing right now. If I were here social worker, I would still be very, very worried about her. I would want to do anything that I could in order to help find her and get her abuser behind bars.

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July 19, 2016 by KVDR News

I found this article interesting because of the way that they painted the boyfriend in this story. Clearly, without directly saying it, he is their main suspect. I do find it interesting, though, that they bring up a past domestic violence case. Had the woman in this situation been helped and supported properly by social workers, she may not be missing, now. If I were a social worker in her case, I would be worried about her safety. I would be worried about what could have happened to her. If she is found, I would try to help her get out of the situation that she seems to be in. With that being said, though, I would want to hear her side of the story.

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July 16, 2016 – by Yesenta Robles with the Denver Post

Although this particular situation ended “peacefully”, the most important thing at the end of the day is that there is a wife and her children that has been abused by this man. Rather than that being discussed, they instead discuss how the police peacefully arrest the man. Again, in this story, the victims are barely mentioned. Instead, this article focuses on police and shining them in a good light. If I were a social worker in this case, I would be focused on the woman and her children in the story. I would make the woman feel supported, and I would let her know that I am there to help her in any way that she may need.

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July 20, 2016 – by CBS4

Once again, there is not really much of a story to go on here. It’s as though nobody really wants to talk/hear about domestic violence! Neither the perpetrator nor the victims are really discussed in this article, which to me makes it seem like less of a big deal. If I were a social worker in this case, I would like to know more about the situation and more about both the victim and the perpetrator. I would like to offer any referrals to services that could be of help.

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July 10, 2016 by Fort Morgan Times

This short little blurb really upset me. Someone was potentially abused, and all they got was a blurb in the police blotter!! There is no story! It’s like it wasn’t even worth mentioning. If I were a social worker in this case, I would get more information, and I would try to help any  victims involved in the situation as best as I could.

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July 12, 2016 by Crystal Anderson with Arvada Press

The perpetrator in this article seems as though he is being painted as a pretty decent guy, despite the acts that he has been accused of. The article mentions his friends and family saying he is not aggressive, despite the couple’s physical past. I thought that this was relevant to our readings because of how the couple seemed to be portrayed, and how the couple really was behind closed doors. I think that a lot of the stories we read about in our readings were the same way. If I were a social worker in this situation, I would worry about checking in with the victim in this case, and making sure to provide her with referrals to any services that may benefit her. I would try to support her as much as I could after such a traumatic event.

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July 13, 2016 by KDVR News

This article was interesting for a couple of reasons. First, they barely talked about the story or what happened – it was only briefly mentioned. What they did talk about, though, was the defense strategy that was going to be used in the case. Rather than talking about domestic violence, or how to help someone in a domestic violent situation, they instead talked about the loose laws in Colorado and the insanity defense that the perpetrator may use. I found this article relevant to the readings because it discusses a perpetrator potentially using the insanity defense as a way of defending himself. If I were a social worker in this case, I would want to fight for Kirsten and her children. I would want an accurate depiction of this man represented in court.

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July 5, 2016 – by The Associated Press

I was really interested in this article for many reasons. First, and probably most importantly to this article, the couple in this article is painted as a rich and well off family. Of course, the article divulges into the perpetrator’s important family and who he is in society rather than the crime that he has been accused of. What really got me, though, was the wife’s response of “I stand behind true victims of domestic violence and I am not one of them”. This was interesting because it seems as though she is more worried about not being seen as a victim above anything else. If I were a social worker in this case, I would want more information about the couple, and I would want them to seek counseling so that they can talk to someone who will not care about their social status, and instead worry about their problems as a couple and how to help them.

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July 6, 2016 – by Kirk Mitchell of The Denver Post

The perpetrator in this clipping is CLEARLY painted as a career criminal. What interests me, though, is that again, there is little to no discussion of the victim, who she is, how she is doing, if she’s okay, is anyone helping her, etc. Instead, this article just focuses on painting an extremely negative image of the perpetrator and nothing really else. This clipping relates to the readings because it discusses a perpetrator and his background. This is relevant to our readings in the textbook about perpetrators and where they come from and what causes them to be violent. If I were a social worker in this case, I would try to encourage Hampel to go to counseling and anger management. I would also check on the victim, and refer her to any services that she may need.

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July 6, 2016 by Angela Case of Fox 21 News

This article really intrigued me because of how little it said about the whole situation. I wanted to know more about the victim – why isn’t this important? How is she? Are their kids involved? This article really left me with a lot of questions. This article really reminds me of Beth in I Am Not Your Victim, as it seems as though she may not have been really helped much after all in this situation. If I were a social worker in this case, I would have wanted to know the victim more, and I would like to see what services I could potentially refer her to in order to get assistance for all of her needs.